Fathom Co Finds: Dashing Through the Details

Dec 16 2011

We were going to title this blog, ‘Holiday Gift Picks for the Truly Time Starved’ because that’s certainly our predicament this holiday season. After weeks of being on the road for both holiday and business, we’re finding ourselves a little behind in our shopping duties. If you’re in the same boat, check our last minute holiday gift ideas and let’s get ‘er done!

Apple a Day – Who doesn’t love something shiny and new from the Apple store? Our favourite gift this year is Apple TV which we purchased recently and are AMAZED at all it does – watch movies, TV shows (hello, Damages Season 4 is out!) and stream photos, videos and music straight to your TV using your iTunes account, Netflix, YouTube and more. And, no surprise here, Apple makes it so easy to install and use. At just $119.00, this is a gift that’s affordable and easy to wrap. We also love the adorably colourful UrbanEars headphones($59.95) for the kids on your list. If they’ve joined the ‘iGeneration’, this is the perfect accessory to their iPod, iPad, iPhone, etc.

A Little London – Everyone knows London is our favourite city in the world, so we love to share just a little luxury from the city we call our second home. Every lady or gent on your list will love Molton Brown’s fabulously scented soaps, shower gels, lotions and potions. Plus, they always have gift sets on offer (beautifully packaged so they just need a tag, saving you wrapping time) during the holiday season. Let’s put it this way, whenever anyone visits our office they always ask, “Where did you get that soap?”…so head to Holt Renfrew to pick up the perfect scent for the hard-to-buy-for on your list.

Let it Glow – We just spent a week showing fab Scottish design duo, Colin and Justin, around Grand Cayman (more on that in a later blog), and while there, they told us all about their new C&J Home candle line, now available to us Canadians. We got an exclusive whiff of the stunning scents and needless to say, these candles went straight to the top of our must-buy list. Our personal favourite is the Lime & Lavender, but we also adore the Bergamot, May Chang & Grapefruit scent as well as the Festive Spice, which is helping us get into the spirit despite being a little late to the rodeo this year! We admit it may be too tight to meet Christmas delivery as the candles do come from the UK, but we’re betting you’re going to want to keep these to yourself anyways! Plus, they make the perfect hostess gift for throughout the entire year. Visit the C&J Home website for more information.

Get the Scoop – Client Alert: Yes, we represent Hamilton Beach Canada, but their new coffee system is generating mega buzz this year on social networks so we just have to share. If someone on your list loves coffee (and who doesn’t?), the new Scoop($69.99) or Scoop 2-Way Brewer($89.99) from Hamilton Beach is the ideal gift. Individual serving coffeemakers are all the rage and understanding this, they’ve come up with a genius coffeemaker that allows you to use your own coffee, without having to resort to those wasteful plastic capsules required by other machines. You just scoop and brew into a cup or travel mug, no filter required. The 2-Way Brewer provides the option of the Scoop individual brewer on one side of the unit and a 12-cup glass carafe on the other. Bonus for the holiday stressed: you can order on their website (retail listings also provided).

Tie One On – Scarves are one of our favourite gifts to give (and get) and because there are no sizing issues to concern yourself with, it’s the perfect item for us panic shoppers! But not just any scarf will do, this year it’s all about the SNOOD. That’s right, you heard us. OK, it may not be the most glamorous name, but the “infinity scarf” is the latest accessory adorning our neck and keeping us warm. Just about everyone looks fashionable in a snood without even trying, so trust us, they’ll love it. You’ll find snoods in just about every retail shop this season but we’ve seen some stunners in Holt Renfrew, Anthropologie, Club Monaco and on some of our favourite shopping sites like ShopBop and Net-A-Porter.

Remember: if you’re shopping online at this late date, be sure to click “expedited shipping” to ensure your gifts make it under the tree in time.